Raritan Rain Barrel Workshop - Photos of the Week!

Last Thursday, about 30 people gathered in Elizabeth Avenue Park in Raritan to build rain barrels. This is part of the ongoing Peters Brook Stormwater Reduction Project, which Rutgers Cooperative Extension is a partner. We made the news!


For more information about rain barrels, visit our rain barrel page.

Upcoming Rain Barrel Workshops

We (NJWSA and Rutgers Cooperative Extension) will be hosting three rain barrel workshops in the month of August! The popularity of the Somerville workshop in June sparked quite an interest, so we have expanded our Peters Brook project to include two additional neighborhoods (in addition to the initial neighborhood in Somerville around Walck Park): a neighborhood near Elizabeth Ave Park in Raritan, and a neighborhood just off of Foothill Road in Bridgewater.

The dates:

Raritan: August 19, 6-8pm at Elizabeth Ave Park
Somerville: August 26, 6-8pm at Walck Park
Bridgewater: August 28, 10am-noon at Somerset County Vo-Tech

If you are interested in one of the rain barrel workshops, please contact Pat Rector at rector@njaes.rutgers.edu

Read more information about rain barrels on our website!

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Rain barrels!

On June 10, we (along with Rutgers Cooperative Extension) held a Build-A-Barrel workshop that was targeted for a community along the Peters Brook in Somerville. The general premise behind the targeted community is that Rutgers (as well as us) are looking to quantify the effect of small best management practices--or BMPs-- (such as rain barrels and rain gardens) on stream flow. We're hoping that these BMPs will reduce the amount of water that reaches the Peters Brook, and in turn, will carry less pollutants to the waterway and reduce erosion due to high volume flows.

So we held the workshop, and about 35 people showed up, many from the targeted community, and 26 barrels were built. Nearly everyone that attended wanted at least one extra barrel, and many people walked by the park and wanted to join if we held another workshop. So, I would say that it was a success!


Here are some more photos from the evening (or visit our photo gallery for the complete collection!):




More information about the stormwater project on our Peters Brook page or you can read some of the press about this event on our News page.

We are planning additional Build-A-Barrel workshops to be held in each of the three Peters Brook communities (Bridgewater, Somerville, and Raritan). We are planning for August 2010. In the meantime, you can learn more about rain barrels!

Van Derveer Rain Gardens!

Last week, our staff, along with Rutgers Water Resources staff, NJ Watershed Ambassadors, Somerset County Park Commission staff, and students and staff from Van Derveer Elementary school installed two rain gardens at the school to add to their outdoor classroom.

Photos from Rain Garden #1



pre-installation



After soil amendments and a thin mulch layer



After planting!

Photos from Rain Garden #2




pre-installation



after soil amendments and thin mulch layer



After planting!

Things are very busy around here, so I will update soon with some more information about the gardens!

Photo of the Week

The fog this morning reminded me of this picture, which is from the feeder canal at Bull's Island Recreation Area, just north of Stockton, NJ. Photo taken October 2006.

rain gardens on the brain!

I have been spending the past few days preparing for our upcoming rain garden project at Van Derveer Elementary School in Somerville (part of the Peters Brook Watershed - WMA9), which we'll be working with the students to plant in just under two weeks. I was looking to take a picture of a rain garden nearby, so I went to Rutgers Water Resources Program website and looked up their demonstration gardens. I came across one at Hillsborough High School (which is within the Royce Brook Watershed, which is part of the Millstone Watershed - WMA 10), just down the road from us, so I took a trip over.



Upon further investigation, I learned that this garden was designed and constructed by an Eagle Scout and is maintained by the school's Special Education department "World Readiness/Community Work" program. I think that's really neat.


I liked the sign that they had on each side of the garden. It describes the water quality benefits as well as the habitat enhancement and native plant aspects in a clear concise way.

I can't wait to see Van Derveer's gardens when they are completed!

Also, we recently updated the Peters Brook page on our website, so please check it out!